NDP rejects 1st draft of Liberals’ pharmacare legislation

Mark Holland would not say when the legislation is expected to be tabled, but has committed to meeting the end-of-year deadline in the supply-and-confidence agreement.

The federal New Democrats have rejected the first draft of the Liberals’ pharmacare legislation, in what the health minister describes as “extremely fluid” negotiations over the highly anticipated bill.

The Liberals promised to table pharmacare legislation this fall as part of the supply-and-confidence deal the government struck with the NDP.

That deal calls for “progress toward a universal national pharmacare program” and the passage of initial legislation before the end of the year. But NDP health critic Don Davies says the first draft of the bill didn’t meet expectations.

“It doesn’t meet the New Democrats’ red lines at this point,” Davies said in an interview. “We’re waiting for a next draft to come to us.”

Davies said the NDP will accept nothing less than a commitment to pharmacare paid for and administered through the public single-payer system, though it doesn’t have to happen all at once.

The NDP would be willing to start with essential medicines and expand from there, he said, but wants to see the timelines enshrined in the legislation.

Health Minister Mark Holland would not say whether the coming legislation would commit to any particular model, because the situation could change by the time the bill is tabled.

Holland said he’s been speaking with the NDP about what is possible, both in terms of the legislation and other promised progress on pharmacare, including a national list of drugs and the formation of a new drug agency to negotiate drug prices on behalf of Canadians.